Sleepy Eye's first baby of 2012 Jessalyn Sellner turning one

For Randy and Dawn Sellner of Sleepy Eye, it’s been a thrill to watch their third child, Jessalyn, reach all her physical milestones in the first year.

They had no doubt that she would reach those milestones at the appropriate time because she has always been on time.

That includes beginning with her due date, which was Jan. 10, and now her first birthday, Jan. 10

Baby’s first birthday is always bound to be special, however the Sellner's said they have plenty of Christmas festivities to plan and attend first, before they begin planning Jessalyn’s first birthday party.

Dawn said that their oldest daughter, Shayna, age 5, has a special bond with Jessalyn and takes on responsibilities of caring for Jessalyn like a second mom. The two girls also share a unique common bond. They were both Sleepy Eye’s first babies, while having birthdays three months apart.

Shayna was born March 20, 2007, winning the first baby spot by only 17 minutes. Lindsey Baker, daughter of Steve and Vickie Baker of Sleepy Eye was a close second.

Both Jessalyn and Shayna weighed in with similar measurements. Shayna measured seven pounds eight ounces and was 20 inches in length.

Jessalyn measured seven pounds 10 ounces and was 19 and a half inches in length.

While both girls had many similarities at birth, there are some differences between the two. Shayna tends to be shy and reserved, while her sister has not yet begun to show any signs of shyness, their parents said.

Jessalyn is smiling, laughing, crawling, pulling herself up and has four teeth.

Shayna is a kindergartner at St. Mary’s School.

Tyler, age 2, doesn’t appear to mind being sandwiched between two sisters. Randy said he enjoys wrestling with his sisters and Dawn said Tyler and his sisters enjoying looking at books together.

While the Sellner’s have two out of three children as Sleepy Eye’s first babies, they said they have no plans for anymore “first babies.”

Randy works at Chuck Spaeth Ford and Dawn works at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center and they say their family, while at times can be a bit hectic, is a perfect size for them.

Being parents three times over, the Sellners say their third child was the easiest, but adds an element of challenge.

“Three children makes things busier, but I thought going from one child to two was harder to learn to juggle,” Dawn added.

A developmental milestone that Jessalyn has not mastered just yet is taking her first steps, which according to her mom, has them feeling a bit anxious.

“She already tries to keep up with the two older ones!” Dawn said with a laugh.

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